


they were kids that i once knew

by sharoncarters



Category: Morning Glories
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-10-01
Packaged: 2018-07-23 12:52:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7463970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharoncarters/pseuds/sharoncarters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of ficathon drabbles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. this is real

**Author's Note:**

> added all of these ficathon drabbles into one work. sorry to keep annoying people lol

Jade doesn't know how she got to this point, honestly. But Ike's shoving her against the wall of his room, pressing kisses down her neck, and she can't really focus on anything else.  
  
She manages to gain some sense for a second and pushes him away, holding his shoulders with both hands. He makes a noise in his throat that is (seriously?) way too endearing for someone like Ike to make, and she sort of wants to kiss him again. But she stops herself.  
  
"Ike, what are we doing?"  
  
"Come on, Jadey," really? Jadey? that's how she knows he's really out of it, "I didn't think I put  _that_  much in your drink."  
  
Nope, never mind, there he is.  
  
"Ike," she whines, "I'm being serious."  
  
"So am I," he says, and lunges for her again.  
  
He really shouldn't be this good of a kisser. She loses all sense of time and space, focusing on his breathing mingling with hers, the way his hands rest on her hips (surprisingly) softly, until she hears someone fumbling with the door.  
  
" _Shit_ ," she manages so squeak, pushing him away from her for the second time.   
  
He looks stunned for a second, still out of it- mouth red and swollen and hair all messed up.   
  
Her panic subsides for a moment because, wow,  _I_  did that, but it's back when Hunter steps into the room.  
  
He sorta just looks back and forth, and then- "Really? Really, you guys? Of all the times and places-"  
  
Ike grins at her from across the room and she can't help but zone out Hunter's angry mumbling because really, when has he ever done that at her before? (Non-sarcastically, that is.)

 


	2. what the fuck happened to your face?

It's after Casey beats him up. He knows he sort of deserved it, for being his usual assholish self and all, but it still hurts like a bitch. Getting beat up isn't actually his favorite past time, despite what some people may think.   
  
He doesn't care if people see, really. He thinks it makes him look sort of roguish, like a badass who gets into fights all the time. He's sort of waiting for someone to ask him what happened, just so he can use the famous "you should see the other guy" line. He's always wanted to.   
  
What he doesn't expect, however, is a certain redhead strolling up to him in the courtyard with a very determined look on her face.   
  
She starts when she sees him, hands flying to her mouth. " _Jesus_ , Ike, what the fuck happened to your face?"   
  
He takes it back; he wanted someone to ask, but not her. The line would fall flat anyway, and he doesn't want to waste it.   
  
"None of your business, carrot-top," he sneers, ignoring the way his cheek throbs when he does so. "Is there anything in particular that you wanted?"   
  
"Honestly, I can't even remember. Seriously, though, you look like shit."  
  
"I've had worse."  
  
"Oh, yeah? I've heard AIDS gets pretty nasty after a while; makes sense. Good luck with-" she points to his face "-all of that."   
  
He can't help but stare at her while she walks away. For some reason, he doesn't feel angry. (Face still hurts, though. Her pointing it out sort of made it hurt worse.) He feels sort of turned on, which is gross and he suddenly feels the need to take a shower.  
  
Stupid, bossy, redhead.   
  
He needs to get laid. 

 


	3. clumsy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Scientists divide my body into systems, cardiovascular, circulatory, respiratory, but when you are in my presence, it all becomes nervous."

_Okay_ , Hunter thinks to himself in the mirror.  _It's gonna be different this time. No more tripping all over myself, no more mumbling, I'm just gonna do it. I'm going to talk to Casey without making a complete fool of myself. I can do this._  
  
"Why are you staring at yourself?" Ike asks, breaking through his thought process. "Finally realized there's no plastic surgery available in the world to fix that face of yours?"  
  
"Ha, ha," Hunter manages, even though his heart is in his throat. Seriously, just going to the library to study with her causes him heart palpitations. How did he even manage to ask her out the first time without throwing up?  
  
Ike rolls his eyes, turning his eyes back to the book he's reading. Hunter doesn't even want to ask  _why_ , all of a sudden, Ike is reading, so he glances again at the mirror, straightens his tie, and decides this is the best it's gonna get.   
  
He grabs his stuff and runs out the door, ignoring another one of Ike's comments. 

 

* * *

 

Okay, seriously? Why does she have to look like that? He doesn't think he's ever seen her hair up, but it's literally making him speechless and he doesn't know how he's going to survive the afternoon. The light is hitting her just the right way and he wonders how she always manages to do that - look so perfect - even when she's not trying. 

He makes his way over and  _Jesus H. Christ_  she just has to smile at him, and of course, what does he do? Trips over his own fucking feet. Hunter manages to fall into his chair and Casey just laughs, like this is normal for them.   
  
"It's really nice to see you, Hunter," Casey says, and he kind of wants to bury himself alive.   
  
"Uh, um, I, ah- it's really great seeing you too, Casey," he manages.   
  
 _Fuck._

 

* * *

 

Hunter realizes that, no matter what, Casey will always make him nervous. So nervous that he stutters, and trips, and smacks himself in the face by accident (that was one time, Jesus).   
  
But he never really realized that he sort of made her nervous too, until the first time she ever kissed him in order to stop his pathetic babbling, and asked, "Was that okay?".   
  
So okay. Like, beyond okay.

 


	4. that's the way we do it in the 99

1.   
  
It's weapons testing day. Ike  _loves_  weapons testing day. It's the best day of the whole goddamn year. After months of dealing with Jade's annoying perfectionism, Zoe's yammering on about her dance troop, and Hunter's pathetic pining over Casey, he needs this.   
  
Weapons testing day is the perfect time for him to unwind, to show the losers on the other squads how good of a detective he really is. For the past two years, Ike had been  _this close_  to winning the Best Kill award. This year he was finally going to do it.   
  
"You know," Jade says, "it's just a kid's karate trophy. It's not that big of a deal."  
  
"You know what else isn't that big of a deal? You getting captain, but no one ever says anything about that." He had meant it as a joke, but he knows it was a low blow. Jade would be a great captain, as much as it pains him to admit it (even to himself).   
  
"Low blow, Ike," Hunter yells, and Ike makes a face.   
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Zoe, would you mind looking up the temperature for me? I need to make sure everything's perfect for this win."  
  
"Nope, can't, sorry. Don't want to."

 

* * *

 

"Dude, seriously, what is going on with you two?" Hunter prompts as Jade walks away. So they had some banter on the bus, it's not a thing.   
  
"I can't believe you're still on that.  _Nothing_  is happening between me and Jade."  
  
Hunter rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Also, Jade and  _I_."

 

* * *

 

He shouldn't be jealous. He really shouldn't. But he has no idea who this Fortunato guy is that Jade's hanging all over. Seriously, what's so great about him? His name sounds like fucking  _tuna_.   
  
"Listen up, team. Forget about the trophy. We're going to beat the record and be the fastest squad to get through this course ever, got it?"  
  
Jade looks at him with a mix of surprise and approval. It shouldn't make his stomach turn the way it does.   
  
"Ready?" sergeant Hisao asks, and they all nod. "Go!"

 

2. 

"Knock knock, captain Gribbs," Zoe sings, opening the door to his office. She hears the tell-tale sounds of Cwazy Cupcakes running in the background, before he rushes to turn his phone off.   
  
"What was that I just heard?" she asks, smirking at him.   
  
"Nothing. You hear nothing, Zoe. Get back to work."  
  
"Aw come on, captain. I think we know each other well enough by now to stop the lies. Were you playing Cwazy Cupcakes?"  
  
"No," he pouts like a child.   
  
"Captain."  
  
"Okay. Yes, I was playing... Crazy Cupcakes."  
  
She stares at him.   
  
"I WAS PLAYING CWAZY CUPCAKES OKAY! I have a problem. Zoe, you need to help me."  
  
"Come with me, sir." She leads him out to where Guillaume is sitting. "G, what level of Cwazy Cupcakes are you on?"  
  
"Just got to Sugar Mountain."  
  
"Captain, what level are you on?"  
  
"...Sugar Mountain."  
  
It's quiet for a moment.  
  
"Would you look at that, I'm cured."

 

3.

Everyone in the office knows about Hunter's embarrassing crush on Casey. He can't help it, she's just perfect. He tries not to ask her out too much, because he knows it makes her uncomfortable. He likes her, but he's not an idiot. He knows she doesn't like him back.   
  
Still, sometimes the schemes just get into his head.   
  
"Listen, Hunter, I'm doing this for your own good," Zoe says. "After this, I won't help you anymore."  
  
"Why are you even helping me now?" He asks, brows furrowed, arms crossed.   
  
"Because that's what fucking friends are for. Now, here's what you have to do..."


	5. exulansis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> n. The tendency to give up trying to talk about an experience because people are unable to relate to it—whether through envy or pity or simple foreignness—which allows it to drift away from the rest of your life story, until the memory itself feels out of place, almost mythical, wandering restlessly in the fog, no longer even looking for a place to land.

She can't talk to Casey about it. She just doesn't know  _how_. It's there, fighting its way to the forefront of her brain every minute of every day, but she can't bring herself to tell anyone. It's not like she  _doesn't_  want to tell Casey, because she does. She loves Casey. Casey is her best friend. But she wasn't  _there_. (She was in an alternate dimension, or time traveling, or some bizzaro shit that Jade doesn't even want to think about right now. She has her own problems, you know?) And how awkward would it be to just blurt out "Hey, I maybe sort of kissed Ike and we had a philosophical conversation about God and then he put a gun to my head, so yeah, that happened"? How can she just  _say_  that?   
  
She can't. So she doesn't. Jade walks around every day with the knowledge of those events rattling around in her brain, and yet she doesn't tell a single soul about it. Because even at this place, who would believe her? Well, besides Ike. Who was actually there. Who she definitely can't talk to, considering he's Ike. There is absolutely no way in hell that she's going to open up that can of worms.   
  
And yet, he seems determined to do just that. Jade knows that he loves to talk about himself way too much for a normal human being, but this is going a little bit too far. He follows her to class, he tries to sit next to her at lunch, he's literally always around her, as if he's hoping that he can annoy her into talking to him. (And that's just so like him, really, the foul little cockroach, with his stupid big mouth and annoying voice and messy hair. Jade hates his hair, actually, is what she should tell him, instead of spilling her guts. Asshole.)   
  
She's so close to forgetting that it was real, to convincing herself that maybe she didn't seriously kiss him, that none of it actually happened. Still, every time she sees him, it reminds her again and again that it  _was_  real, however unfortunate it might seem. She keeps remembering the choked little sound that he made at the back of his throat when she kissed him - almost like disgust, but not; more like extreme, total surprise - and the way he had breathed " _oh_ " when she pulled away.   
  
Jade is  _this close_  to slamming her head against her lockers, seriously, when he comes up to her and (for once) opens his mouth. (The silent watching had been the most surprising, really. Everything else was so Ike, but not that. It had almost made her worry about him, in a weird way, that he could follow her around and keep his mouth shut.)   
  
"We should talk about it," Ike blurts, demanding and infuriating and blunt like always.   
  
She deflects: "Talk about what?"  
  
"Very funny, Fall Out Boy," he snaps, "but you know what I'm talking about." And, for real? Fall Out Boy? That's the best he can come up with? There must really be something off with him, if that's all he has in his arsenal. But for some reason, she can't seem to open her mouth. It's like, the longer she put off talking about it, the weirder and more obscure it became in her mind. Maybe it didn't happen. And even if it did, what's the point? How could talking to Ike, of all people, make her feel any better?   
  
"I hate your hair," she ends up saying, because she had worked herself up about it and that was the only thing she had in her mind at the moment.   
  
"Yeah, okay," he looks almost confused, but he's staring at her like he did back in the cell when she kissed him, and she has to look away and take a breath.   
  
"Fine,  _fine_. We can talk about it. But not here."  
  
"Where, then?"   
  
Jade shuts her locker door and grabs his hand, ignoring the jolt of electricity that runs up her arm. "My room," she answers, praying to God or any deity that Casey is out at the moment.

 

* * *

 

He's oddly supportive, explaining to her the history he has with his father and what he was trying to accomplish with the whole gun thing. She doesn't forgive him, exactly, but she understands. She wishes she didn't. But she's been afraid and confused for so long that talking to him really did help. (Not that she'd ever admit it to him. Ike. The one boy who manages to infuriate her more than anyone else. Like he really needs a boost to his already inflated ego.) 

  
But Jade can't stop starting at him, afterwards. He'd been so sincere, so patient, that it makes her want to kiss him again. And after that it's no longer his eyes following her everywhere. Jade's the one staring at him in class, her eyes lazily tracing the shape of his lips for hours each day, so much that she has to go "What?" when Casey asks her a question. She's the one watching him, and it's really quite a hinderance to her daily activities. And her sanity.   
  
Because she has to be going insane. There's no other way to explain it. She can't really  _want_  him, can she? But she does, she realizes, weeks later. She can't talk about it though, to anyone. Especially not him, this time. So she keeps her mouth shut, hoping that this memory will be the one that she can, for once, wish away. 


	6. i've given one, you've taken two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm living for the mg ficathon fillathon rn this is the best idea we've ever had

He likes it best when they're fighting, which probably says more about him than it does about her or them in general. It's this _thing_ about her, this unspeakable thing, that does it to him. Something that draws him in when he should be staying the fuck away, but he just... _can't_.

Ike would be the last person to admit that he has no self control. He prides himself on being deliberate all the time, even when he's pretending to lose control. (Like that time he was in Argentina and fucked his host's daughter, having to flee the house in the middle of the night with his pants around his ankles laughing the entire way, mouth poorly forming the words "It just happened!" in his broken Spanish. As if anything _just_ happened. Not for Ike, anyway. Everything that he did was carefully thought out, chewed over in his mind, and spit back out to look like an accident.)

But then there it is, isn't it? Because Jade... Jade _just happened_. And it might just be the worst thing to _happen_ to him, ever.

 

* * *

 

"Prude."

" _Ass_ hole."

"Stuck up, know it all—"

"Arrogant, good-for-nothing—"

"Sad, pathetic little—"

"God, shut _up_ —"

 

* * *

 

It's her impulsiveness, maybe, that draws him in. And he'll freely admit that he had underestimated her, because shit, who would've thought that some carrot-top from East Bumblefuck would be impulsive, you know? Not Ike, that's for sure. But there she is, day after day, surprising and annoying him. Kissing him. It's not something that a guy can get used to, even Ike.

He can still feel it, the quick press of her lips against his, like a slow burn. He'd burned himself before, lots of times, when he was young. Just to see who would notice. It was some time after Ike had realized that Abraham didn't give a rat's ass about him, and his mother had moved on to her new flavor of the week, that he had just pressed his hand against the stove and turned up the heat, just because. And it did hurt, he's not going to lie about that. But it was a slow hurt, one that crept up on him. Kind of like Jade. (What was that saying about pots and frogs again? Like how a frog will try to jump out of a boiling pot of water, but put it in a cold one and gradually turn the heat up, and that's how you kill 'em. It's kind of like that, with Jade, but worse, because Ike is doing this to himself deliberately.)

 

* * *

 

In any other world, Ike would've pegged her as some type of stuck up rich girl, you know? Because she could've been, if he didn't know her. That would've made it a lot easier for him. Easier to just fuck her, or whatever, but he can't, not now. Because fuck and Jade in the same sentence together makes his head hurt. It sounds crude, and to someone like Ike, who has no sense of the term whatsoever, this is a horrible revelation. How can Ike be Ike if he starts _caring_? What kind of backwards bullshit school is this, anyway?

But he does care, especially when she goes missing, and that's the worst part of it all.

 

* * *

 

She's the only person who's ever stood up for him before, you know? How does somebody forget something like that?

 

* * *

 

"Hey, MCR," he taunts, watching Jade's pale face gain some color as she flushes. He doesn't know what to make of it, seeing her like this: tied up, mascara tracks on her face. _Hurt_. He tries to conjure up that image of her in his room, Hunter and other kid gone for some reason or another, the way that she had come alive near him, against him. That night that he had realized that maybe his heart wasn't a black hole (not that he'd ever admit it, but, you know).

Jade rolls her eyes at him behind Casey's back, the blonde girl clutching her best friend like she's never going to see her again. Which, with this school, is a distinct possibility. Ike's mouth curves up in the semblance of a smile before Casey turns around again.

"Dick," she mutters, and he can't conjure up the energy to answer her with a lengthy response.

"Satisfied?" he taunts back, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jade wipes her face with the heels of her hands. "Keep fighting, why don't you," she snaps. "It's not like I'm traumatized over here or whatever."

"I'll traumatize you," he says.

"What does that even mean?" Casey snorts, and Ike shrugs. Whenever he's with Jade all of his snark mostly just comes out as stupid. He doesn't miss the way that Jade's eyes sort of soften, and how her hands find the hem of that hot pink sleep shirt. He really, desperately wants to know what she has on under there, if anything.

 

* * *

 

"I'm glad you didn't die, or whatever," Ike tells her an indeterminate amount of time later. It's still night, at least, that much he knows.

Jade purses her lips, fighting back tears or a smile or something.

"Well, I'm glad you helped Casey find me, or _whatever_ ," she teases back.


End file.
